A Splendidly Still Evening in Looe: Landscapes, Litigious Gulls, and Geopolitical Blunders
Looe is, under normal circumstances, famously picturesque. Lately, however, it has achieved a fresh layer of notoriety as one of the primary Beyond Paradise filming locations. For reasons that defy rational human intellect, the television show’s producers saw fit to declare that this quintessentially Cornish town is actually located in Devon. This is a geographical insult so profound to the local populace that it’s a minor miracle the show’s weekly murder count isn’t significantly higher.
After several weeks of pointing my camera lens at a succession of startled human beings and deeply suspicious pets, I felt a familiar, urgent ache. It is a peculiar craving known chiefly to those who indulge in landscape photography: the deep-seated, borderline pathological need to stand utterly motionless for hours on end, staring at a view where, in all honesty, absolutely nothing is happening.
It is a state of existential suspension that fans of Plymouth Argyle Football Club will recognize instantly.
Escaping the Elements in Southeast Cornwall
Having confessed this photographic itch to Sarah the night before, we hatched a plan. We required a destination we could both enjoy, crucially, one that did not involve a lung busting trek up a vertical cliffside, culminating in a windswept hypothermia endurance test.
We settled on the thoroughly delightful coastal town of Looe, Cornwall.
Looe is, under normal circumstances, famously picturesque. Lately, however, it has achieved a fresh layer of notoriety as one of the primary Beyond Paradise filming locations. For reasons that defy rational human intellect, the television show’s producers saw fit to declare that this quintessentially Cornish town is actually located in Devon. This is a geographical insult so profound to the local populace that it’s a minor miracle the show’s weekly murder count isn’t significantly higher.
The Fish and Chip Audit
Fortunately, the human locals we encountered were entirely peaceful. The wildlife, however, was another matter.
As we sat down to enjoy that mandatory coastal staple, fish and chips, we found ourselves heavily policed by a squad of local herring gulls. These were not mere birds; they were avian bailiffs. They loitered nearby with an air of intense grievance, clearly harbouring complex legal questions regarding the rightful ownership of our dinner.
Note to travellers: When eating outdoors in Looe, constant vigilance is not a recommendation, it is a survival strategy.
Down the River or Across? The Photographer’s Dilemma
With the last of the chips successfully defended and devoured, and the immediate threat to my life downgraded, it was time to dust off the tripod and get down to business.
Nature, sensing my patience, kindly obliged. Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, a truly spectacular cloud formation rolled in, painting the Cornish sky in brilliant, dramatic hues. It was the exact shot I had been hoping for.
Now, however, I am left with the traditional, agonizing dilemma of the amateur photographer. I have two distinct perspectives from the evening, and I cannot quite decide which is the stronger composition:
Option 1: Looking directly down the atmospheric Looe River.
Option 2: Looking straight across the water to capture the stacked houses of the town.
East Looe River taken at Sunset
Looe Cornwall taken at Sunset